TL;DR:
Africa’s biggest challenge isn’t potential—it’s process. Moving from survival to systems means doing things right, not fast. Nations like South Sudan can learn that progress comes from structure, integrity, and accountability. Real growth happens when passion meets planning and when leaders choose long-term vision over short-term gain.
Not long ago, I found myself at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, standing face to face with an unfortunate—but not unfamiliar—reality. A group of young African students approached me with a seemingly harmless request: “Do you still have some kilos left in your baggage allowance?” They wanted me to carry their mobile phones and small goods bound for Africa, using the remaining 8 kilograms I had. My own bag already weighed 12kg, so technically, I could have said yes.
But I didn’t.
I tried to explain to them that this isn’t a proper way of doing business. You either run a legitimate enterprise or you don’t. Their disappointment was visible—maybe even judgmental, as if I were the one failing to help a brother. But that moment spoke volumes. It wasn’t just about bags or phones; it was about how deeply ingrained the survival mentality is among us Africans—and how dangerous it can be when it becomes our default way of operating.
FAQs
1. What does “from survival to systems” mean?
It means shifting from reactive living to strategic planning—building systems that sustain progress instead of relying on luck or crisis response.
2. Why is this mindset important for Africa?
Because without structure, development collapses. Systems create stability, fairness, and growth that outlast individual leaders or moments.
3. What stops African nations from building strong systems?
Corruption, poor leadership, and dependency on foreign aid. True systems require discipline, transparency, and shared responsibility.
4. How can South Sudan apply this principle?
By investing in education, empowering institutions, and prioritizing accountability. Change begins when every citizen values excellence over excuses.
5. What’s the long-term goal of this approach?
To create a self-reliant Africa—where nations no longer just survive crises but thrive through organized, honest, and visionary systems.
This mentality is not unique to students in China. I’ve encountered it in my home country, South Sudan, at Juba International Airport. After a long flight, as I waited for my luggage, a man—neither in uniform nor with any official badge—rushed toward me and tried to “help” me with my small carry-on bag. He acted as though I didn’t know how to retrieve my own belongings.
He wasn’t helping; he was hustling.
When I resisted his unsolicited “assistance,” he grew more forceful. I had to physically pull my bag back from him. Why? Because he expected a tip after walking me through a system I already understood. This wasn’t hospitality—it was harassment disguised as help. Again, this is doing business the wrong way.
I blame the airport security for that. Why allow idle, unauthorized individuals into restricted areas meant for travelers? If they’re not employees or passengers, they should not be there. Systems exist to create order. When they are ignored, chaos—and informal exploitation—takes over.
Too many of us in Africa have normalized shortcuts. We think we are being clever when we sneak around rules, bend systems, or find “creative” ways to get things done. We call it street smarts, but in truth, it’s system sabotage.
Whether it’s sneaking cargo through another person’s luggage, forcing yourself into airport terminals to “assist” for a fee, or bribing a traffic officer to avoid a ticket—these are not harmless cultural quirks. They are behaviors that collectively keep Africa in a cycle of inefficiency, mistrust, and underdevelopment.
This shortcut mentality, ironically, creates longer-term consequences. It discourages formal business models, disrespects rules, undermines trust, and erodes the very fabric of any working society.
Compare this to what I saw in China. Rules are enforced, systems are respected, and doing things the right way is encouraged—not avoided. The people I met during my seminar on Chinese Modernization and African Development weren’t waiting for someone to carry their bags or sneak in some cargo. They followed the rules because they had systems that demanded it and institutions that backed it.
In China:
- Airport terminals are for travelers and workers only.
- Cargo follows protocol and is traceable.
- Doing business means registration, taxation, and delivery—not manipulation.
This doesn’t mean China is perfect. No nation is. But they have built a system where shortcuts are unattractive and unethical behavior is monitored. When people know that cheating the system comes with consequences, they’re more likely to follow the rules. That’s how discipline becomes culture.
The issue isn’t that Africans are less capable. It’s that too many of us have equated struggle with smartness. We often mistake illegal hustle for innovation. But survivalism is not entrepreneurship. Smuggling phones is not logistics. Forcing travelers to tip you is not customer service.
This is not a communal culture—it’s desperation wearing the mask of solidarity. And this desperation is exactly why many African nations continue to lag behind. We glorify the man who “finds a way” through corruption, but we mock the one who follows procedure.
How can we expect ministers and politicians to behave ethically if everyday citizens see cheating as a strategy and ethics as optional?
It’s time to replace the operating system of survival with one of systems and sustainability. Here’s how:
- Ban Unauthorized Personnel in Sensitive Spaces. Starting with something simple: airports. Let’s stop people from entering terminals without proper identification. Juba International Airport, like many others across the continent, needs to enforce this immediately. If you’re not flying or working, you shouldn’t be inside.
- Formalize Informal Hustles. The young men trying to smuggle phones could thrive in a proper logistics business—matching travelers with small cargo needs through a regulated mobile app. Governments should support and legalize such efforts, not ignore or criminalize them.
- Educate the Youth About Ethics. Our schools and universities must go beyond test scores. We need to teach ethics, entrepreneurship, civic duty, and systems thinking. What good is a degree if the holder still believes in “beating the system”?
- Promote National Role Models Who Do Things Right. Too often, we glorify the cunning over the lawful. Let’s start celebrating civil servants who don’t take bribes, entrepreneurs who pay taxes, and leaders who put principle over profit.
- Design Systems That Reward Order. People adjust to what works. If rules are applied fairly, people will follow them. If crime has consequences, it will reduce. China has proved this. So can we.
It would be unfair to turn this into a one-way critique. China may excel at systems, but Africa has something valuable too:
- Spontaneity and warmth. In China, many systems can feel mechanical. Africa’s relational culture can help soften bureaucracies and keep human dignity at the center.
- Creativity under pressure. Africans are masters of resourcefulness. If paired with discipline, this creativity can build powerful businesses and social solutions.
- Spiritual and emotional resilience. Even in extreme poverty, African communities often find joy, hope, and laughter. That human spirit is priceless.
Africa does not lack potential. It lacks accountability, structure, and above all, a shared commitment to doing things the right way. From airport terminals to government offices, from street vendors to university graduates—we all need to reject the culture of shortcuts and embrace a culture of systems.
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We must stop sugarcoating illegal behavior. Smuggling is not “help.” Coercing travelers at airports is not “hustling.” Borrowing everything all the time is not “being communal.” These habits are the termites in our societal foundation.
We are not poor because we lack ideas—we are poor because we fail to implement them ethically.
Let’s move from surviving to thriving.
Let’s build systems.
Let’s do things the right way.
Because Africa deserves better—and we, her people, are the ones who must deliver it.
Author Bio:
John Monyjok Maluth is a South Sudanese author of 100 books, a public speaker, and a passionate advocate for ethics, leadership, and national development.
Contact:
Email: maluthabiel@gmail.com
Phone: +211 927 145 394
Website: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007Q063CG
